The Peloponnese - Kyparisa
Code: 96a4972d-a72b-11eb-9a9a-fa163ef8d720 Copied
About the project
The Peloponnese - Kyparisa
📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Since 1983, ARCHELON has been conducting annual summer field projects in the area, aiming to record data relating to the turtles’ nesting activity as well as protecting the nests. The core area of the project is on a beach 10km long in the southern part of the Bay of Kyparissia, between the estuaries of Neda and the village of Kalo Nero, where an average of 780 nests are made each year. A significant and increasing number of nests, however, are also found in the northern part of the Bay, which lies north of the estuary of Neda until Alphios river.
This magnificent beach is bordered by a coastal forest of pine trees and the largest zone of sand dunes in Greece along the upper part of the beach, and the blue waters of the Ionian Sea at the front.
💼 What the programme involves
From May to late September every year, volunteers of all ages and backgrounds from all over the world participate in ARCHELON’s sea turtle conservation program in Kyparissia. The activities vary depending on the season (i.e. nesting season: mid-May through mid-August and hatching season: mid-July through late September), and include the following:
‘Patrolling’ the beaches every day (Morning observation), during which loggerhead reproductive activity is recorded.
‘Patrolling’ the beaches every night (Night observation), including measuring and tagging the nesting females.
Protecting the nests in situ (with ‘fencing’) from both human activity and/or predation by mammals, and relocation of nests, when necessary.
Constructing special ‘shading’ structures to guide hatchlings to the sea in areas where artificial light (from roads, shops, etc) may disorient the hatchlings when they emerge from the nest.
Excavating nests after the hatchlings have emerged, in order to estimate the hatching success.
Increasing public awareness of both tourists and local residents by operating a seasonal information station in Kalo Nero village, manning information tables, and organizing presentations at tourist facilities.
“Patrolling” the beaches during the day to raise bathers’ awareness of the importance of the nesting beaches.
Driving, maintaining equipment, maintaining the camp and its facilities (i.e. cleaning, etc.) and various jobs such as painting and carpentry. Artistic skills such as drawing and photography can also be quite useful.
Following the protocol for dealing with injured or dead sea turtles, if necessary.
🏠 Accommodation on site
Volunteers will live in the campground designated by ARCHELON for the duration of their participation in the Project. The ARCHELON Research Field Station in Kyparissia is based at Apollo Village, a well-organized campground located right next to the beach in Gianitsochori village.
Volunteers must be prepared to take part in a communal life, and to live and work in both populated and secluded areas, often as members of small teams and usually under harsh conditions. Although relevant experience is not necessary, the ability to live and co-operate with people of different cultures and backgrounds is essential.
Campground facilities:
WC
shower with hot water
kitchen with basic equipment
Wi-Fi
a taverna (restaurant)
café
a very warm and friendly atmosphere
📍 About the location
During your free time, there are several beautiful places to visit in the area: the Neda waterfalls (near the village of Platania) are located within an hour’s drive from the ARCHELON Field Station.Once there, you can walk in the shade of huge plane trees and oaks along the riverbanks, and swim in the Neda river. Another short trip will take you to one of the most important cultural sites of Greece: the archaeological site of Ancient Olympia, which was the sanctuary of Zeus and birthplace of the Olympic Games. On the way to Olympia, just half an hour away from the camp site, you can visit Kaiafas Lake. There, the combination of forest, lake, sea and thermal healing baths definitelymakes the area a unique place to visit!
⚠️ Requirements
Applicants must be over 18 years old.
They must be able to communicate fluently in English and must be covered by a personal health insurance policy.
The minimum period of participation is 5 weeks. Exceptionally, returning volunteers can join their projects for 4 weeks.
A longer stay of volunteers i.e. more than 6 weeks is recommended as it contributes greatly to the success of projects.
Returning volunteers are welcome as they enhance team performance with their experience.
A valid driver’s license greatly contributes to the functioning of the project.
A combination of participation in more than one projects is possible if the duration of stay in the second/ third of them is 4 weeks or longe
Applicants must be in very good health and in good physical shape due to the projects' physically-demanding tasks and living conditions.
Applicants must confirm their acceptance and agreement that complying with measures against the spread of COVID 19 is obligatory in the projects. The measures put in place are based on the experience gained during 2020. It is stressed that new regulations affecting our operations might be introduced by competent national authorities at any point in time. These will need to be implemented in the best possible way, following the instructions of the Project Officers.
Volunteers are selected on an individual basis. As a rule only two or three friends can be accepted at the same period of time and project at maximum.
Only those volunteers who have been formally accepted will be allowed to participate in the projects.
The application process includes the following steps:
filling in and submitting the official ARCHELON online application form,
the receipt of an acceptance letter by email from ARCHELON. The acceptance letter includes a list of additional requirements relating to items such as payment of fees, a certificate from a doctor verifying the status of a volunteer’s health, etc, which must be submitted in a period of 30 days following the acceptance letter.
Volunteers must submit all the documents listed on the acceptance letter by email and pay the fee, in order for their participation to be confirmed by ARCHELON. Please make sure your participation is confirmed (in other words, that you have completed all the requirements specified by ARCHELON in the acceptance letter) before you arrive at the project.
Volunteers must bring their own camping gear (e.g. sleeping bag, tent, torch, alarm clock, etc).
Volunteers must be prepared to share in a communal life, and to live and perform their duties in both populated and secluded areas, often as members of small teams and usually under harsh conditions. Although relevant experience is not necessary, the ability to live and co-operate with people of different cultures and backgrounds is essential.
Volunteers are trained and supervised by field leaders and experienced project members. They must be prepared to participate in every aspect of the project. Duties are allocated by the field leaders and may include duties throughout the night or long hours during the day.
Fieldwork includes duties in the heat (sometimes for up to 6 hours), and walking long distances or up/downhill to reach some of the sites. With an average level of fitness, this is manageable, but please be prepared that the duties can be hard and exhausting. With the right attitude and the right team, it is still fun!
Time off is arranged in half or full days off and is granted according to the needs of the project. The general rule is one day off for approximately every ten days of participation and days off cannot be taken in a row.
ℹ️ Additional information
Sea turtles come into the bay to nest in early May, together with the first tourists visiting these beautiful beaches. The first team will be expected to kick off the project and the ARCHELON Field Station on the 8th of May. Monitoring, nest protection and public awareness activity will get busier every day up to mid-June.
From mid-June to about mid-August, everything escalates: final number of nests is reached, numbers of visitors on the beaches go up fast and reach their peak, first hatchlings are out. Higher numbers of volunteers are required for most of this busy period.
From mid-August to October, thousands of hatchlings reach to the sea with the help of volunteers and this an excellent time for public awareness and conservation work combined. The Field Station and the project are closed by the last team at the end of September.
Participation is arranged in full weeks, each to be calculated as 7 days from the date of taking up duties (e.g. if starting on a Tuesday, last day of duties will be Monday). The arrival date to the project site is the day before taking up duties. The departure day from the project site is the day after the last day of duties.
Once approved, successful applicants will need to pay their volunteer participation fee depending on the dates of participation, as shown in the Overview Table. Fees are applied as shown in the Overview Table of Participation fees and the cancellation policy and policy for the change of participation dates can be seen here.
Volunteer participation fees cover the cost of accommodation, administration, training and accident insurance coverage (up to a limit) as well as the annual subscription to ARCHELON.
The participation fee is paid once (in a single payment i.e. no partial payments are accepted) and proof of payment needs to be sent to ARCHELON before the volunteer status is confirmed.
Please note
Greek speakers are welcome and a specific number of them will be accepted with a reduced volunteer participation fee under the same rules & cancelation policy, see link.
You will need to be in the project one day before your first day of participation and you can stay one day after the last day of participation in the project.
The time of arrival needs to be sent by e-mail to the Volunteer coordinator at least 5 working days before a volunteer arrives to take up duties.
Each volunteer gets an exclusive ARCHELON “volunteer” T-shirt upon arrival.
ARCHELON is not in a position to offer financial assistance. Volunteers are expected to cover their travel and personal costs along with their food expenses.
Because of the communal lifestyle, volunteers usually share living expenses, estimated at around €25-€30 per week. Anyone who does not wish to participate in the communal arrangement can estimate their expenses at about €15 per day.
In case of an internship, after submitting your on-line application, please inform the Volunteers Officer ([email protected]) of the requirements of the University well in advance and preferably before the end of February 2020. Please also note that no scientific data from this project can be used for any report students may have write, upon completion of the internship.
For more information about the prices, please refer to the document "Archelon Prices" and on the "All nesting beaches" line
Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.
Sign in to apply📷 Project photos
📅 Available sessions
The peloponnese - Kyparissa1
08/05/2021 → 15/06/2021
The peloponnese - Kyparissa2
16/06/2021 → 20/08/2021
The peloponnese - Kyparissa3
21/08/2021 → 15/10/2021
ℹ️ Key information
Age required
18–99 years old
Solidarity donation
0.00
French tax residents may be eligible for a tax reduction of up to 66% of their costs (membership, plane tickets, solidarity donation).
📍 Location
Kyparissia, Greece
Greece
🌍 Location info
Local currency
Euro Member Countries (EUR / €)
Timezone
Eastern European Summer Time
Local time: 21:09 (12/11/2026)
🛡️ Before you leave
✅ Features
🏠 Accommodation
🗣️ Languages spoken